A New Beginning
by canary-chan
Summary: Set after KH2, but with a twist. What if Riku hadn't of saved Sora in the final fight with Xemnas? Lots of OCs. Rated for language and some almost smut. Chapter 10 up! R&R, no flames please.
1. Introduction

" Sora! No!" the silverette keyblade wielder yelled as his best friend hit the ground. While avoiding the repetitive attacks from Xemnas, the teen made his way over to where Sora laid motionless. " Sora! Get up! Please get up! You cant die on me now! You just cant!" The normally calm, collected teen was now was in tears, crying out for Sora as a small child might for its mother.

" Ah. Yes, weep over the fallen keyblade master. Let if feed your anger." Xemnas taunted. " Riku, there is no hope. Even if you defeat me and escape, you will live knowing that you where his only hope, and you couldn't save him. What are you going to tell poor Kairi?" Riku froze. He had forgotten about Kairi. His momentary freeze up gave Xemnas the chance he had hoped for. Xemnas lashed out at Riku, knocking him onto his back. Riku quickly recovered, unleashing a rapid chain of intense attacks.

Finally Xemnas fell, fading away as Nobodies do. Riku watch as the last survivor of the Organization faded away. Then he remembered Sora. Forgetting all about his victory, he ran back over to where the Keyblade master laid. Tears formed in his eyes as he stared down at Sora. Nothing would ever diminish this pain. The pain of knowledge… knowing that he was Sora's only hope…and he didn't save him. Suddenly there was another being in the room. His other best friend, Savone, entered the room with great enthusiasm.

"Lets go Guys, I found us a way outta here… whoa… what happened?" her voice trailed off. "Riku…" That was all she managed to say before the silver haired teen threw his arms around her, sobbing uncontrollably. All she could do was hold him close. She had never seen Riku like this… but then again Sora had never been dead before. "Riku… please stop crying… what happened?" she asked him gently.

"Xemnas… Sora… I-I-I didn't make it in time…" Riku choked out.

"Ok Riku, Listen to me." Savone said, looking into Riku's eyes. " It's not your fault. And you know Sora wouldn't want you to continue thinking it is." Riku stared at her with a sad and knowing look on his face. " C'mon, lets get outta here"

" Should we take Sora's body…?" Riku asked, taking another look at his dead friend.

" I'm thinking not… you how Kairi's gunna act anyway, lets not give her a visual."

"Uh... Right… good idea…"

" Let's go." Savone grabbed Riku's hand and took off running before Riku could give any new protest.


	2. The Beginning

" Savone!" Christopher yelled with joy as his girlfriend and Riku approached. He ran to Savone and hugged her tightly.

" Ack! Christopher! I'm glad to see you too… but your choking me!" Savone gasped. She laughed as Christopher quickly let go. Leaning close to him, she lightly planted a kiss on his lips, then turned heel and went to help explain to Kairi why Sora wasn't here. Christopher stood still for a moment before following after her.

Kairi was standing next to Riku's girlfriend, Katie, waiting for Riku and Sora. Savone watched with a slight glint of envy in her eyes as her silver haired best friend swept his girlfriend off the ground and cradled her bridal style in his arms. Katie had been her best friend since 3rd grade. Her and Katie did almost everything together. Until about 8th grade, then it was always them and Riku. Savone and Katie always competed over Riku. Always rushing to see who could be a better friend, silently hoping that Riku would choose them. Mid - way through Freshman year, Riku asked Katie out. She wasn't good enough for Riku, she wasn't good enough anyone. The thought never left Savone's mind. And that's what she always thought, at least until part way through her Sophomore year. That's when she met Christopher. Her and Christopher could always be seen together, in the halls, at lunch, in the band hall, at the football games. If you saw one, there was the other. Christopher asked her out at her senior graduation.

" So… where's Sora…?" Kairi's voice broke trough her thoughts. Riku just sat Katie down and looked at Kairi sadly. Tears started forming in his eyes as he remembered his dead friend, still laying in the realm of darkness. " Riku… w-where's Sora?" she repeated, fear and worry clearly showing in her voice.

" Kairi…" Savone started, seeing as Riku wasn't going to, " Sora is well… dead. Xemnas killed him" she watched as Kairi's eyes grew wide with horror. " Yeah… so… I'm sorry." Riku turned away from Kairi and broke into silent tears.

" Oh no… no…no no no no no…. " was all Kairi could choke out in between her sobs.

" I'm sorry… I did make it in time…" Riku whispered.

"Riku, we've been over this, its not your fault." Savone said calmly

" You weren't there!" Riku snapped, temper flaring. " I could have saved him! That one stupid mistake… It cost my best friend his life! How can you tell me that I wasn't my fault!" Riku ended up screaming though his tears. Savone watched as the older boy fell to his knees, sobbing hysterically in to his hands. Savone, still calm, walked over and lifted his head to meet his eyes. His normally magnificent ocean blue eyes were now pale with grief.

" Riku," she began, " if fate had bid you to save him, he would have been saved. It's not your fault." Riku only nodded. He knew she was right, but didn't want to admit it verbally.

"She's right Riku… I know that if it was fated that you save him, he would be here with me." Kairi said with a saddened smile.

"Kairi, you saying it like that isn't helping. Why don't you go home and get some rest?" Savone said in a rather commanding tone, eyeing at her with an equally demanding look. Kairi stared at her for a moment before nodding and disappearing into the night. Then Savone turned her attention back to Riku. "Anyway Riku, why don't you have Katie take you home? You really should rest. And I'm almost sure that if you asked her, Katie would stay with you tonight."

"Yeah, I should rest. Maybe I'll wake up and find this whole thing was a long drawn out nightmare." Riku replied, getting back to his feet. Katie walked over and grabbed his hand. Soon, they too disappeared into the darkness, leaving Christopher and Savone alone.

"C'mon, Chris, we need to go too. Who walks who home tonight?"

"Um, I think its your turn to walk me home."

"Ok, let us be going then." Together they walked off without another word.

* * *

"This is impossible. How are we suppose to know which one it is?" A cloaked figure said to his nearby friend. The friend looked over at him and shrugged. They looked off the railing into a sea of thousands of Dusks. Apparently, before Xemnas was killed by that keyblade wielder with the silver hair, he somehow got a message to his associates that all of his power was to go to his only living relative, and that he would reassemble the organization and lead it to victory. This relative hadn't been killed yet because they were among the thousands of Dusks that were waiting for command.

"Wait, look! I bet that's him!" The other figure shouted. He pointed out into the Dusk at one that was moving differently from the others. This one had personality. The cloaked me looked at each other and nodded. They cleared the railing and made their way to the unusual Nobody. As they approached, it suddenly became engulfed in darkness. The darkness lashed out in all directions, killing all of the Dusks close by. "What the hell?" One managed to say before the darkness exploded, killing more Dusks. After the dust cleared and the two cloaked men stopped coughing, they noticed that there was another cloaked man with them. He had dark brown hair with a silver tint, his eyes were an eerie shade of purple, and he was fairly pale. The new guy flexed his hand a few times and smiled.

"Oh this is much better. Thank you. I've been waiting a long time to be released." His voice was low, amusement was clear. "If I am correct, Xemnas has finally fallen, and he want me to lead the Organization. To do that, I need more than two members. Ekul, Tinyaus, We must go rebuild the Organization. And I know just who to start with."


	3. A New Member

The walk to Christopher's house was just like any other. They talked about what happened that day, what they would do tomorrow, future plans, etc. What wasn't normal was that Savone felt like they were being followed.

"Chris, what if Organization XIII comes back?" She asked, a little worried.

"Riku killed their leader, how could then make a come back? I mean, Xemnas was the last one, right?"

"Yeah, but…" She stopped, unsure of how to strengthen her argument. "I guess you are right. I'm thinking too much." Christopher nodded and looked ahead. Something made him stop in his tracks.

"Chris? What's wrong?"

"I just say something over there. It looked like… a Heartless."

"Heartless? Are you sure?" Savone asked, starting to think Christopher was seeing things. Then she saw it too. A lone Shadow standing in their path. "That's odd. They normally at least travel in groups of 3." She started walking toward it, curious. Only too late did Christopher realize it was a trap.

"Savone! No, it's a trap! Come back!" he yelled, but she either didn't hear him, or she ignored him. Suddenly the supposed Heartless morphed into a Dusk, then hundreds showed up. The two keyblade wielders stood back to back, staring at the sea of white surrounding them. "Is this an appropriate time to tell you 'I told you so'?"

"No. No it is not." Savone growled as she lunged at the group of Dusks. The more they fought, the more showed up. It was hopeless. Finally Savone cleared a path. She knew it wouldn't stay open long, so she took advantage of the situation. "Chris! There's an opening! Run! I'll hold them off!"

"What? Are you crazy? You'll never win!"

"Yeah well, I'll know you're safe."

"Savone…"

"Go!" Chris made a whimpering noise before taking off into the night. The last he ever saw of Savone was when he looked back to see her get overtaken by Dusks.

* * *

The organization's new leader was standing in his room, staring out the window. Soon his faithful Dusks should return to him, carrying their newest member. A former keyblade wielder, daughter of Axel and Demyx. Why would anyone agree to have a gay couple's child? Though it didn't make much sense, he was glad it happened. Because of it he now had a very powerful resource at his deposal. Suddenly, a knock at the door brought him back to reality. Two low-ranking Nobodies came in carrying an unconscious girl. They sat her down on the floor gently and left. Soon she came around and got to her feet. "Wonderful, you are awake. Tell me, Nobody, what is your name?"

"Yatra"

"And what is my name, Yatra?"

"Lord Ymerej."

"Very good. Yatra, you may go to your room, you need rest. Tomorrow, you will retrieve our next member. Vaya, The granddaughter of Xigbar"


	4. The Sniper

"Christopher! Please let me in and tell me what's wrong!" Kairi said for the fourth time, banging on the door to Christopher's house. The young Keyblade wielder just sat on his bed, staring at the floor. After last night, it would be a miracle it he ever came out of his room again. That was twice that he had lost a girlfriend to Nobodies. The difference was that Savone could defend herself. All the thought started filling his head again. Why did he leave her? Why didn't he tell HER to run? What was wrong with him? A soft click brought him back to the real world as Kairi walked in the room, putting her card back in her pocket. Christopher smiled a little, it never ceased to amaze him that nothing stopped her from helping her friends, not even a locked door. "Now, tell me what's wrong." she said, placing one hand on her hip.

"Last night on the way here, Savone and I were attacked."

"By what?"

"Nobodies. Dusks to be exact. Hundreds of them."

"Nobodies? I thought with the Organization gone they wouldn't be hostile."

"That's what I thought too."

"Well are you and Savone alright?" Tears came to Christopher's eyes once again. The picture of the Dusks overtaking Savone and vanishing into thin air flooded back to his mind.

"No… I… I escaped… They… They took Savone…" He chocked out, trying not to give away that he was nearly crying again.

"Chris… I'm so sorry…"

"It's ok. I've got to go look for her though. I can't go through not knowing again. I still never got any answers from the first time, and I'm not going to get any just sitting around here." He got to his feet and walked over to his closet. A pair of black pants, a red shirt, and a black jacket sat neatly folded on the shelf. After he had changed and gathered some things, he turned to face Kairi. "Well, I guess this is goodbye. I'll see you when I return."

"You're kidding right? You honestly think I'm going to let you do this alone? Last time I let a boy go alone… Yeah you get the picture. I'm going with you." With the determination and demand she had in her voice, Christopher couldn't really argue. He simply smiled and walked out the door, Kairi right behind him.

* * *

"You there! I have an offer to make you and I won't take no for an answer." Yatra yelled out. The black haired girl she was addressing turned to face her. A crooked grin spread across her face.

"Oh really? I got an offer too. Kiss my ass."

"Vaya, I'm serious. The new Organization XIII needs you, granddaughter of Xigbar."

"Yeah, and I really need to have a beer. We can't all have what we want. I'm surprised you know my name. Am I already that famous?" Vaya laughed, a huge smile on her face. She adjusted her eye patch to it wasn't scratching her cheek anymore.

"No. Lord Ymerej told me. Otherwise I would have no use to know your name. Now come with me, or I will make you."

"Well c'mon little girl! Show me what you got!" She laughed. Yatra sighed. Then, without a second thought, she summoned her sitar and sent a rush of cold water at the pirate girl. The wave sent Vaya into a wall, and before she could recover, a high powered blast of blazing hot water sent her through the wall. The sniper quickly staggered to her feet and out of the building she was in. She raised her gun to fire, but soon realized that the water master was gone. Or at least, that's how it seemed. Suddenly she was completely surrounded by a swirling vortex of boiling water. "Well. This sucks" She said, just before the torrent came crashing down. Again she got to her feet, more slowly this time, only to be clobbered in the head with Yatra's sitar. This time when she fell, she didn't get back up. "How in the hell… are you so strong… I wasn't even able to attack…" She wheezed

"Because, unlike you, my power is completely under my control. Your is too wild, too free, too random. If you come back with me, Lord Ymerej can help you control it." Vaya simply stared before nodding and passing out. Yatra summoned a portal and took them both back to Castle Oblivion.


	5. A Bit of Pride

The sun over the Pride Lands was hot. Even beneath a cool layer of golden brown fur, Christopher was sweating. Yes, you read that right, fur. Some world altered one's appearance. This, the Pride Lands, was one of them. Apparently though, no one had told Riku this. He was not happy.

"What the hell is this?" Riku growled, looking over his now feline body. The long silver fur made him look more like a giant Persian cat than a young lion. "I did NOT sign up for this, I don't even like cats!"

"Calm down, Riku. It's not that bad. We probably won't be here long anyway." Katie said calmly, brushing the one long, wavy sweep of hair from her eyes. Riku couldn't help but stare. She look quite dashing as a lion. He even had the urge to jump on her then and there, but he decided that wouldn't be fair to Christopher and Kairi.

"Alright guys," Kairi chimed, fluttering above Chris. She was the only one who hadn't been turned into a lion. Instead, she had been turned into a Bird of Paradise. "According to rumor, there is two young lions, a bit older looking than cubs, in black hoods running around causing trouble. Organization XIII immediately comes to mind, but that's impossible right? I suggest that we go talk to the king of the Pride Lands. Simba may know a little more." The group agreed and ran off towards Pride Rock, not knowing that this adventure was going to become more than a hunt for Savone.

* * *

-A little bit before-

* * *

The sky outside of Castle Oblivion was dark. Lightning occasionally arced from cloud to cloud. The approaching storm didn't seem to bother the two Nobodies in the courtyard. The sitar player continued to strum away on her instrument, and the sniper sat and cleaned her weapons. It seemed they were impatiently waiting for something. Both looked up with a certain kind of joy when their leader finally approached them.

" Your target is on her way to the Pride Lands. It seems Yatra's plan worked. You must go there and get Riku's girlfriend, Katie. She is Xaldin's niece. No doubt she has his power locked away in that dark heart of her's. Anyway, be careful, the new Keyblade master is with her, along with Riku and Kairi. I have faith you can do this without screwing up. Now go." And with that he disappeared. Yatra and Vaya looked at each other and shrugged before opening a portal and departing for the Pride Lands.

* * *

Sorry, shorter chapter. Never fear though, there is a battle next :3


	6. Another One Gone

Sorry for the delay ^_^U here is chapter 5! Enjoy! - C-C

* * *

As the group of heroes ran onto the savannah, they spotted what indeed looked like two young cubs in black coats, much like that of the Organization. "Look there they are!" Kairi whispered urgently. Despite her efforts to be quiet, the cats in question looked up. Their faces were concealed by the hoods, but it was still increasingly obvious the hostile expression the two held.

"Well, well, well. You did show up to protect these precious Pride Lands." One of them growled, amusement lacing her voice.

"I was beginning to think you were just going to let us burn the place!" The other snapped.

"What are you talking about?" Chris asked, stepping toward them. Both summoned their weapons quickly, causing Chris to step back. Then he looked carefully. He recognized the weapons. A sitar and a pair of arrow guns, the weapons of Demyx and Xigbar. Why did these two have old Organization XIII weapons? "Who are you?"

"No one you need to know yet. Just a couple of cool cats from the Organization." The amused one laughed. "Know this though, you know who we are. Well you know who we used to be. The time will come soon enough when you find out what we've become."

"Just tell us who you are, and maybe we will let you go!" Riku shouted, stepping forward.

"You let us go? That's rich." The other female said, causing them bother to roar with laughter. "You are in no position to make deals right now."

"Says you!" Katie growled and lunged at the two, despite Riku's efforts to keep her back. She bowled over the one with the golden red paws, who seemed to be the leader. The two wrestled for a while, until the leader pinned Katie down. She started whispering in her ears. At first Katie struggled, but eventually she stopped. The other cloaked cat grabbed Katie and disappeared into a portal.

"NO! KATIE!" Riku yelled running towards the portal, but it disappeared before he got there. He turned quickly to the remaining cat and growled. "Bring her back!"

"I'm sorry, I can't do that. It's not in our best interest." She chuckled before disappearing as well.

"No… She's gone… My best friend, now my girlfriend…" Riku curled up on the ground sadly. Chris watched him with sorrow. He know what it was like to lose someone you love, he had gone through it now with two girlfriends and a best friend. Slowly he walked up to Riku and laid down beside him.

"It's ok, Riku, we'll find her. Just like we are going to find Savone."

"No, they'll kill her."

"If anything they want her Nobody. They won't kill her. I promise. Come on, let's go, we need to get to Beast's Castle before something else happens. They all nodded their agreements and headed back to the Gummi Ship, comforting Riku along the way.


	7. Three's A Crowd

The moon hung high over the peaceful town of Radiant Garden. How long though would it stay peaceful? Judging by the figure shadowed in black standing on the rooftops, not very long. This time her prey was young boy of seventeen. Seemingly ordinary, until you looked at his sibling. This was the brother of Saix, the new Organization's next target.

"This should be simple enough, he'll be alone." She said a loud, quietly. He always took a nightly walk through here, but tonight would be his last. Tonight, Yatra would take him back to the Organization. Much to her surprise though, he wasn't alone. In fact, he was with two others, a small child with pink hair and a silver haired man. Quickly she pulled out her list and looked it over. He was with her next two targets! "Oh this is better than I thought it'd be." With that she jumped down in front of them, summoning her sitar as she landed. Almost immediately, The silver haired man jumped in front of the child.

"Who are you!" He snapped.

"There is no time for introductions. Either the three of you come quietly, or I shall use force." She said, pulling back her hood. She gave a laugh when they all recognized her. "Chris, Craig, Janine… Please, follow me. I don't want to have to hurt you."

"Sa-Savone! What happened to you? You look different." The pink haired girl, Janine, said as she ran out to Yatra. She was already to the Nobody before Chris or Craig could stop her. Yatra grabbed her and pulled her close.

"You will find out soon enough, Janine." She said gently before throwing the girl into the portal beside her.

"Janine!" The boy called together. Craig ran and dove into the portal, while Chris stayed behind.

"What did you do with her!" He yelled, his brother's claymore coming to his hand like magic. Yatra held out her hand to him, as if trying to beckon him.

"You will see. I promise she is in no danger. If you don't believe me, come see for yourself." Chris glared at her as if he refused to believe it. He even made it look as if he was going to attack her. After a while though he simply sighed and dropped his weapon.

"Fighting you is not going to bring her or Craig back. Fine. Take me to them." Yatra gave a slightly dark smile before taking his hand and leading him though the portal.

~~~The Next Day~~~

"So there was nothing but normality at Beast's Castle." Christopher said in a pouty tone.

"Isn't that a good thing, Chris?" Kairi laughed, running up beside him.

"Normality these days tends to be a good thing." Riku answered with a smile. Chris laughed and nodded, looking at the two. It was good to see Riku smiling again. After the incident n the Pride Lands, Chris thought they were never going to get him to smile. Kairi knew just what to say though, as always. It always seemed like Kairi knew what to do to cheer someone up, no matter the situation. It was one of the qualities he liked so much about her. As he started getting lost in thoughts about her though, Riku brought him back to reality.

"So why are we here?"

"Huh? Oh, we are here to visit my best friend Chris and his friends Janine and Craig."

"Sounds like fun!" Kairi said happily. "Isn't this Janine's house? Let's see if she's home." Chris nodded and ran up to the door. He started to knock, but a sound caught his attention. A muffled sobbing echoed from behind the door. Cautiously, he knocked on the door. It opened to reveal a crying woman.

"What's wrong? Is Janine here?" Chris asked, worried.

"No." The woman sobbed. "She went on a walk with Chris and Craig last night, but she never came home. I though maybe she was still with them, but their mother's said they never came home either." Then she began to cry hysterically, allowing Kairi to give her a comforting hug.

"Do you think it's that new Organization, Chris?" Kairi asked worriedly, holding the upset woman close.

"Most likely." Chris answered. "Don't worry, Ma'am, we'll get Janine back for you."

"Oh thank you, Christopher! She's only 8. I don't want anything to happen to her."

"No problem. You just go back inside, we'll head out now." She nodded and headed back inside.

"Sounds like our work is never done." Riku said, stepping forward. "Where to now?"

"Well, I say we head to Twilight Town to check on Tim. He has a relative that was in the past Organization. I bet you anything they go after him." The others nodded and they took off hurriedly back to the gummi ship.


	8. The Things We Do For Friendship

"Tim?" Chris called at the door of his friends apartment. It seemed odd that he would be gone today, it was game day. "Sarah? Chloe?" He called again, this time to Tim's room mates. Still no answer. "That's weird. They should be home."

"Maybe they went some where in town." Kairi offered.

"Or maybe we are to late." Riku chimed.

"Thanks for the optimism, Riku!" Chris snapped playfully. "I know Sarah likes to hang out in the sandlot. Let's check there." The three ran off to the sandlot, where they found Sarah, beating the crap out of a blonde-headed kid in a Struggle match. The trio cheered her on from the sidelines until she destroyed him 189-11. She jumped down in front of them, pushing her long red hair out of her face.

"Hey guys! Long time no see! Where is Savone and Sora?" She asked cheerfully.

" Well, Sarah… Sora is dead and the new Organization XIII kidnapped Savone." Kairi answered sadly.

"Aw, man. I'm sorry guys. What about Katie?" Riku nodded sadly.

"They got her too."

"Sheesh…"

"Yeah, Sarah, do you know where Tim and Chloe are?" Chris asked, changing the subject. He didn't want to talk about their fallen and lost friends right now, it would only upset him and prevent him from doing his best.

"They were both home when I left. C'mon, Chris. It's game day. You know Tim isn't leaving the apartment and Chloe isn't leaving his side!" She laughed, not asking any further questions.

"That's what I was afraid you'd say…"

"Why?"

"We went over there before we came here." Kairi broken in. "They weren't home."

"Sarah. Didn't you say that Tim and Chloe both has relatives that were in the original Organization?" Chris asked. Sarah nodded and looked at the ground for a moment. Suddenly realization filled her eyes. "Now do you understand why we're worried?"

"Yeah. Let's go see if we can find them." She said running off. As she was running, she looked over at Chris and sighed. "Do you wanna know something that worries me too?"

"What's that?" Chris answered, running faster to stay even with her.

"I have a relative that was in the XIII. Lexaeus. They may come after me too."

"That's exactly why you are coming with us." A new voice said to the side. The Heroes skidded to a halt and looked over to see three people in black cloaks standing there. One was in front of the other two, obviously the leader. The others had Tim and Chloe. Chloe struggled against the one who held her, but soon got an elbow to the head, knocking her out. That sent Tim into a rage. Despite an arrow gun being held to his head, he struggled hard to get to Chloe.

"You let them go." Riku growled, A Way to Dawn coming to his hand. "I've already had it with you guys. I WILL kill you if I have too."

"Back off, Riku…" Sarah said, her axe-sword coming to her hand. "This is my fight."

"Fighting us wouldn't be wise." The calm male leader said. "I could tell III and IV to kill them both." The four heroes didn't know what to do. Risk losing all three of them or just Tim and Chloe. Finally Sarah put her weapon away and stepped forward, head down.

"Sarah!" Riku shouted. "What are you doing?"

"I'm sorry guys. I'd rather be taken then Tim and Chloe lose their life." Sarah admitted. Then she turned back towards the Nobodies angrily. "Take me then. Tim and Chloe shouldn't lose their life just because of me."

"Maybe it's good that I have no heart." The man laughed, grabbing Sarah by her long hair. "I don't give in to things as meaningless as friendship." With that, he retreated into a portal, taking Sarah with him. His accomplices followed soon after, dragging their hostages too.

"Great, now we've lost all of our friends." Riku growled, kicking angrily at the ground. "The things people do for friendship… it's ridiculous."

"She did what her heart commanded, you can't blame her for it." Kairi added. "Besides, what about Devin and Morgan? I think we need to head to Traverse Town and see them. They can help us."

"Right! They are both Synch Bladers! They would defiantly add so power to our numbers!" Chris cheered. "Let's go!"


	9. Truth Untold

"Man, this sucks…" Chris said as the trio left the Gummi Ship that had brought them to the Keyblade Graveyard. "Devin and Morgan are gone. Now we are here, in the middle of no where, looking for a way into the Realm of the In-between. What makes you so sure it will be here, Kairi?"

"I'm not sure. I guess I just felt like this was as good a place to start as any." She said with a shrug. When she glace over to Chris and was meet with his stare, she quickly turned away. Recently she had been fighting the urge to just stare at him. She didn't know why, but she just felt… happy around him. Maybe she shouldn't, so close to the death of Sora, but she had a feel that somewhere, Sora was telling her to go for it.

"Kairi? Is something wrong?" He asked quietly, walking closer to her. He too had fought the urge to stop and stare. Though he felt that was unfair to both Kairi and Savone, he couldn't help but being attracted to her. Maybe though he should say something. After all Savone always told him that if something happened to her to not wait and grieve.

"No, nothing. I'm fine." She said quickly. Then she looked up to meet his gaze. "Thanks though."

"Alright, if you are sure." He said with a smile. One think was for sure, he could look at her forever and still be happy. She was beautiful. "Hey Riku, what do you think?" Chris asked, trying to get his mind off Kairi.

"I think there is a chance." He answered, then he mumbled "I think you have something to tell Kairi." under his breath. "Hey I'll be back. I've got to check something." With that, he turned heel and ran off, leaving Kairi and Chris alone. The two stood there awkwardly for a while, occasionally casting glances at each other.

"So uh… How have you been holding up? I mean with Sora's death and all." Chris asked, looking away from her. He was tired of sitting silence, but he really couldn't think of anything else to talk about.

"I'm fine. I guess I shouldn't be, but I know Sora wouldn't want be to stay sad." She answered, smiling, staring at the sky. Then she quickly turned to look at him. "What about you? Savone is gone and you really aren't even sure if she's ok. How are YOU holding up?"

"Yeah… I'm fine. I guess I've kind of… moved on. I feel horrible for it, but I can't help it." Chris admitted sadly, staring at the ground.

"Hey," Kairi started stepping front of him, making him look up at her. "You know how Savone is, she wouldn't want you moping and feeling like this."

"Yeah I guess you are right."

"So cheer up! We've got work to do!"

"Right." Chris agreed with a smile. When Kairi started to walk off, Chris grabbed her and pulled her into a hug. She was startled at first, but she soon relaxed and returned his embrace. They stayed like that for a few moment before Chris pulled away, face slightly red. "Thanks for cheering me up, Kairi."

"No problem, Chris." She said, smiling brightly. Conveniently, Riku came back right after that.

"Alright, I'm ready. Let's get going." He said. Chris and Kairi nodded and turned toward the site of the great Keyblade War.


	10. XIV

"Oh hey! Look Gamryon! Friends!" A small hooded girl in black said to her un-hooded companion as the heroes entered the Twister Trench. The other girl had midnight blue hair, cut short, and bright blue eyes. She seemed to be excited, but something was off about it.

"Yay! Wait, you are friends, right?" Gamryon asked, turning to them. Her smaller friend removed her hood, revealing a short mop of pink hair. They seemed friendly enough, but the coats made Chris suspicious.

"Well, that depends." Chris started.

"Whose side are you one?" Riku finished.

"Why, the Superior's of course." Gamryon answered, confused as to why it even need be asked.

"I'm afraid not then." Chris growled, suddenly angry. "Where is Savone?"

"Savone? I don't know who that is, but II told us to take out anyone against us." The pink haired girl called, lunging at the trio. Chris blocked her attack and Riku sent her flying away, right into a rock. Gamryon watched in mock horror as her friend was knocked out.

"Jaeynin!" The girl called, but her friend didn't stir. Slowly she turned back to Chris and his friends, the emotional cover gone. "I am Gamryon. Number XIV. And That wasn't very nice!" She wasted no time summoning her Keyblades to her hands and rushing forward, getting a first strike on Kairi. The red-head slid back and Riku took over. The silverette teen dueled the young girl for a while, occasionally getting help from Chris, until XIV jumped back. Energy engulfed both blades and she preformed a double strike raid, throwing both Chris and Riku into the rocks. With a cute giggle, Gamryon called out her taunt. "Na-na na-na na-na!"

"Wow, for a child she sure is strong." Riku grumbled, picking him self up. He turned to help Chris up before looking back toward XIV. Kairi had taken over again. The two females matched each other, move for move, block for block, skill for skill. They both used light attacks, causing an explosion that sent them both sliding back. However, Gamryon was quicker to recover. While the dust still floated in the air, she dashed forward, cutting through her opponent with both blades. She giggled again and blew raspberries toward Kairi as she crumpled to the ground. That sent Chris into a rage. He launched himself from his resting place and into the heat of battle. He swung hard at XIV several times, only for her to jump away each time.

"Can't Catch me! Can't Catch me!" She called, until Chris finally hit her. Tumbling backwards, it looked like he could finish her here. However, right as he got there, she vanished.

"Whoa. Where did she go?" Chris asked, looking around on the ground.

"Over here!" The girl called from atop a rock. Chris looked over just in time to see her jump and send an large wave of light out, taking out Riku and dealing some heavy damage to him as well. She started to do it again before she landed, but Chris launched his attack first. Strike Raid ended it. She took the hit hard, falling to the ground on her backside.

"Wha…?" Gamryon started, noticing that he was starting to fade away. "I'm sorry, Veydin. I tried. I really did!" At that she faded away into butterflies. The small winged creatures fluttered a short ways a way before fading away themselves. The pink-haired girl, earlier referred to as Jaeynin, stirred and caught the last of her friends death. A terrified shriek escaped her mouth and she opened a portal to escape. Riku, being the closest, dove in after her, but he was the only on to make it. The portal closed and Chris was left with an unconscious Kairi. He cast Curaga on himself before working his way over to Kairi. He cast the spell on her too and sat beside her, awaiting her to wake up. Thoughts swarmed his head while he waited. Was Riku going to be alright? Where do we go next? Why has the Organization risen again? Finally he decided that it was safe to stay here. He picked Kairi up bridal style and slowly set off to the Gummi Ship.

* * *

"Ymerej. Do you think Jaeynin knows that Gamryon was intended to die?" Yatra asked in a flat tone, walking up to join her Superior on the roof. The brunette nothing looked over at her for a brief moment before looking back out across the night.

"No. And I intend for it to stay that way. It will give her reason to kill the three next time she sees them." He answered, voice completely emotionless, as a Nobody's voice should be.

"And Veydin?"

"He is most certainly not to know. All that pent up rage is perfect."

"Very well. Good Night, Superior."

"Same to you, Yatra."


	11. Work to Do

It had been three days since the battle with Gamryon, and Kairi still hadn't woken up. Chris was beginning to worry. He was almost sure she should have been awake by now. Sure, he was concerned about Riku, but he would be fine. Kairi though… he feared the worst. Every time she stirred, he got his hopes up, only to have them crushed when she didn't get up. It was maddening really, and the worst part was that he was unsure of why. Sure, she was his friend and all, but he felt… odd around her. Similar to how he felt around Savone and Ava, but different. It was almost as if… no that couldn't be it. He looked back over at the girl. She was only sleeping. That's what it looked like. Finally with a sigh, he went to the window and stared out. Everything seemed so peaceful right now. It was as if nothing was happening. The Organization had never come back. Everything was just normal.

"Chris…?" A weak voice called, breaking his train of thought. He turned around quickly, went over to the bed and knelt down. She was awake. Finally, she was awake.

"Kairi, you are ok. I'm glad you are awake." He said quietly, a soft smile on his face.

"Where are we?" She asked, looking up at him. "I remember being in the Keyblade Graveyard… Then waking up here."

"We're back in Twilight Town. Sarah's house to be exact. I have a key. You've been out for about three days. I carried you back here."

"Really…? Wait, where is Riku?" Seeing the expression on Chris's face fall, she began to fear the worst. She sat quickly and stared at her sandy haired companion. "Christopher, where is Riku?"

"He followed Jaeynin through the portal. I would have followed, but I couldn't leave you behind." He explained, thinking she would be angry. He was thoroughly surprised why she hugged him lightly.

"Thank you. Thank you for not leaving me alone." It took Chris a moment, but he soon realized that she was crying. At first he wasn't sure why, but then it hit him and he hugged the crying girl close. Sora had, unintentionally, left her alone. He felt bad for her, she really missed Sora.

"I won't leave you alone. I promise, Kairi." He said, trying to comfort her. She just nodded into his chest. They stayed like that for some time, Chris occasionally stroking her hair comfortingly. Yet neither of them realized just how close they'd become. To them, this was all because they were friends. They couldn't see what Riku saw. At last Kairi pulled away, leaving Chris with a weird feeling in his chest. A sense of sadness one might say.

"We should probably get ready to go find Riku, shouldn't we?" She asked, voice almost shy. A warm smile had spread across her face, but her eyes were full of foreign emotions and confusion. Chris so badly wanted to ask her what was on her mind and why she looked so confused, but he decided against it.

"Y-yeah. Let's go eat then get ready to go. " The Keyblader finally answered, smiling at her. With a soft giggle, the red-head grabbed his arm and drug him off, talking the whole way.

* * *

"Alright, have we got everything?" Chris asked as they walked away from the shops in Tram Common to the Old Mansion. Kairi rummaged through his bag, checking things off in her head as she went. Eventually she zipped it back up and walked beside him.

"Yep! Everything! Now, where is this opening to the Realm of the Inbetween?" She quizzed.

"If I heard Riku right, there should be one at the Old Mansion, which is where we are heading."

"You think we'll find Riku?"

"Yeah, we will." Chris answered, smiling at her. "It's going to take more than a few Nobodies to take him down." Kairi giggled and nodded her agreement, watching the ground where she walked. Thoughts flooded into her mind about the very brunette she walked with. Could she deny any longer what she felt for Christopher? No, she couldn't, but she also couldn't bring herself to say anything. Not here, not now, not yet. She had become so consumed by her thoughts that she hadn't even realized that the were approaching the gate. It wasn't until Chris spoke that she snapped back to reality. "Kairi, are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I was just… just thinking." she explained, smiling at him. The concern in his voice made her wonder if he was like that to all his friends, or just her. "Really, I'm fine."

"Well, alright. I'm going to have to unlock the gate. Guess they didn't want another incident like this." Chris said, happiness back in his voice. Raising his weapon,. He focused on the lock. A beam of light shot out and the lock faded away. He lowered his weapon, but quickly raised it again when the thorns of Nothing started swirling around the gate, eventually forming a portal. They both looked at the portal and over to each other. With a smile, the brunette look his red-headed friend in the eye and said, "Ready, Kairi? We've got work to do."


End file.
